Theories of Deviance are limited in their ability to explain deviant acts if one adopts the view that these theories are universal. There is no universal, right or wrong theory, rather each theory provides a different perspective which only "fully makes sense when set within an appropriate societal context and values framework" . The functionalist theories share a common structural explanation of causes of deviance . They assume that conformity in society is achieved through the existence …showed first 75 words of 2503 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2503 total…Justice Statistics <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ijs.htm> Cahill L & Marshall P, 2002, Statistics on Juvenile Detention in Australia: 1981-2001, Technical and Background Paper Series, no. 1, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra, <http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/index.html.> Clinard M, Sociology of Deviant Behavior, Wadsworth Publishing, New York, 1963. Taylor I, Walton P, Young J, The New Criminology: For a Social Theory of Deviance, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1973.